Rachael Gunn, now known as Olympic breakdancer Raygun, has inspired a ton of memes online for her bizarre performance at the Paris Olympics.
Now, social media users have taken to TikTok and X (formerly known as Twitter) en masse to share their latest comparisons to comedian Chris Lilley.
The 49-year-old Australian sketch comedian is famous for his larger-than-life characters, two of whom, Mr G and Jonah from Tonga, have similar dancing skills to Raygun.
Videos have been circulating online comparing Raygun’s dance number (36) at the Olympics, which earned zero points, to comedic performances by Chris.
One of the clips featured the character Mr. G, a high school dance teacher, performing dance moves in class that you could almost believe, while wearing all sorts of costumes.
At one point, he even donned a kangaroo mask and imitated the Australian hopping animal, an iconic dance move Raygun used during her Olympic performance.
“Australian Olympic breakdancer Raygun vs. Mr G,” the caption read, while another video shared a similar comparison on TikTok.
The second video was captioned: ‘Chris Lilley has been very quiet since Australia made his Olympic debut in breakdancing.’
Rachael Gunn, now known as Olympic breakdancer Raygun, 36, (pictured) has inspired a series of memes online for her bizarre performance at the Paris Games
In other clips shared online, Raygun’s performance was compared to that of Chris’ mockumentary character Jonah, who claims to be the “best breakdancer” at Summer Heights High.
Fans of these memes responded en masse to the comments, agreeing with the comparison. One person wrote: ‘Are we sure that [Raygun] “Isn’t that Chris Lilley?”
Another said: ‘Chris Lilley did it better’, while someone else commented: ‘I immediately thought of a Chris Lilley character when I [Raygun].
A third added: ‘THE FIRST person I thought of [was] Mister G!’, while one user said: ‘We didn’t see a close-up, but are we sure the Australian breakdancer isn’t Chris Lilley?’
Now, social media users have taken to TikTok and X (formerly known as Twitter) en masse to share their latest comparisons to 49-year-old comedian Chris Lilley (pictured)
It comes as Australian taxpayers, facing a funding crisis, are furious after discovering that Olympic breakdancer Raygun has received government funding to study the art form.
Raygun’s failed performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics has been exposed after she failed to score a single point and was mocked worldwide on social media.
The Sydneysider took up the sport in 2012 and completed a PhD in ‘breaking culture’ prior to her highly ridiculous performance at the Games.
Raygun is a lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney, Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature.
The Australian sketch comedian is famous for his larger than life characters, with two – Mr G and Jonah from Tonga – bearing a striking resemblance to Raygun in terms of dancing skills
Queensland Senator Gerard Rennick cited Raygun’s official Macquarie University profile in a Facebook post after she went viral, pointing out that she had received taxpayer money to study breakdancing at the institution.
And Australians struggling to make ends meet are not happy.
“There is a lot of talk about Australia’s breakdancing representative at the Olympics,” Senator Rennick posted.
‘I’m more interested in her actual profession. She studied at Macquarie University for her BA in Contemporary Music, graduating in 2009, and her PhD in Cultural Studies, graduating in 2017.
Raygun’s PhD thesis focused on ‘the intersection of gender and Sydney’s innovative culture’… her publications include:
- The ‘relay systems’ in doing cultural studies: experimenting with the ‘body without organs’ in b-girling practice
- Nocturnal Paradox: How Breakdance Reveals the Potential of the Night
- Where are the #bgirls? Politics of (in)visibility in the breaking culture
Videos have circulated online comparing Raygun’s Olympic dance number, which earned zero points, to comedic performances by Chris
“In the same way that breakdancing has no place in the Olympics, it is fair to say that taxpayers should not be providing subsidies to universities to study or teach it,” he continued.
‘Nothing against breakdancing by the way. It is certainly an honest recreational activity, but that’s it. It should not be subsidized.
It also begs the question: how many obscure and useless courses do universities offer that are subsidized by taxpayers?
“It also shows that just because you have a PhD in something doesn’t mean you’re good at it.”
Other videos showed the character Mr G, who is a high school dance teacher, performing dance moves in class that you couldn’t stand, while wearing different costumes
In 2024, the federal government will make $29.2 billion in recurring funding available for all education sectors.
That includes $1.1 billion over five years, from 2023 to 2024, and another $2.7 billion from 2028 to 2029 to 2034 to 2035 for the first phase of the tertiary education system reforms.
Research students like Gunn have access to grants and funding to cover the costs associated with conducting their research or fieldwork.
While Gunn’s specific details have not been made public, PhD students like the breakdancer can receive up to $56,000 in tax-free government funding annually.
This includes a living allowance of up to $35,000 per year, plus a top-up scholarship of approximately $21,000 per year.